


Inquisitorial Baby Acquisition

by VanillaHorizon



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Breastfeeding, Character Death, Dalish Elven Culture and Customs, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Interracial By Fantasy Standards, Interracial Relationship, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Character Death, One Shot Collection, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:02:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26166835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VanillaHorizon/pseuds/VanillaHorizon
Summary: A collection of one-shots where one of eight various Inquisitors acquire a baby in one way or another. How will their respective love interests react? How did they acquire the baby in the first place? Read and maybe you'll find out.(Rating and tags are subject to change as new chapters are added)
Relationships: Female Inquisitor/Cullen Rutherford, Female Lavellan/Cullen Rutherford, Male Adaar/Cassandra Pentaghast, Male Inquisitor/Cassandra Pentaghast, Male Inquisitor/Dorian Pavus, Male Lavellan/Dorian Pavus
Comments: 4
Kudos: 37





	1. Cassandra X Adaar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got the idea for this first part about a week ago but wasn't sure if I actually wanted to write it or not, then a few days later, I was browsing Pinterest while simultaneously watching youtube and came across a piece of art depicting Cassandra breastfeeding a Qunari baby by NorroenDyrd on DeviantArt (At least that's what the pin said) and that just solidified my plan.  
> With that out of the way- I now present to you the story of Asala Adaar, his Kadan Cassandra, and his nephew Aban!  
> Be weary of a minor character death and light angst ahead.  
> Word count: 2500  
> Enjoy. <3

A courier came bounding up the steps almost falling over the banister in his rush as he made his way towards the woman he had been told to speak to regarding his letter.

"Ma'am, an urgent letter for the Inquisitor, the man said to make sure he got it before I leave."

"Who from?"

"A big Qunari, a mage I think and he had a baby with him, he was a pretty terrifying-looking man either way."

Leliana nodded, "I'll send a raven with it to him momentarily, go to the tavern and warm-up, but don't leave yet, I'll have more questions later."

The boy nodded and backed away, leaving as quickly as he could.

He had a feeling his face was three shades paler than usual but decided to ignore his growing unease and get warm like the scary lady had told him to do.

***

Adaar was smiling down at the piece of paper in his hands fondly as he reread the messy scrawl a second time.

> Asala,  
>    
>  The roads have been even more dangerous for us and we do not know the reason. Your sister and I have separated from your father and my two siblings after we encountered more Vashoth than usual recently. We've been avoiding the roads at all costs since then. There are now things you need to know, but not on paper. We'll meet you at Skyhold in three weeks time. Be there when we arrive. We will talk soon and until then, be safe.  
>    
>  ~ Katar

"Something interesting, Boss?"

"My cousin is coming to Skyhold soon," Asala told him with a smile.

Bull nodded, "Didn't know you had extended family."

"Technically I don't, we're family by association, but he has taken to protecting my sister ever since she found out she was with child."

He hummed a reply before stretching and telling him Cassandra was coming back.

Sure enough, a few moments later and she was sitting down beside him.

"You're smiling," she pointed out almost as soon as she sat down.

He nodded, before turning his attention fully to her, grabbing one of her hands softly between both of his.

"Cassandra, would you like to meet some of my family?"

Her eyes widened at his question.

"Not right away I mean, and not if you don't want to, but my sister and cousin wrote and they're coming to Skyhold in a few weeks."

She shook away her initial shock and finally regained her words.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure, Cass, you're very important to me," he told her as he traced his thumb across the back of her hand.

"Oi, get a room if you're gonna start snoggin' her!" Sera shouted from her place across the fire.

Asala smiled mischievously before chuckling.

"Good idea, Sera," he said just before Cassandra was being lifted from the ground without warning.

"Adaar, don't you dare drop me!" she squealed as she dug her fingers into the flesh of his shoulders as best she could.

As he carried her to their shared tent he heard Varric muttering something about young love but decided to ignore it in favor of cuddling who was probably the most beautiful woman in the world in his eyes.

***

Asala was speaking to a scout, someone relaying a message of some sort that he was only half-listening to because he was still nursing an aching shoulder after his most recent sparring session with Bull.

A knock at the open door pulled his attention away from the scout immediately.

"Inquisitor, you have a guest, he said you would want to see him right away," a second scout stepped into his room, followed closely by a familiar face.

"Katar, welcome to Skyhold!" he greeted before turning his attention to the scout he arrived with.

"Do you mind telling the advisors that I won't be making it to any meetings tonight, I have company." 

She nodded before stepping out of the room without so much as a sound.

"And Jim, if you can, try to find Seeker Pentaghast and send her this way," he told the other scout, effectively sending both on their way before turning his attention back to his cousin.

He furrowed his eyebrows when he finally noticed the blanketed bundle in Katar's arms, "That's a baby."

"It is your sister's baby, your nephew."

Adaar's eyes lit up, "She had it already?" he didn't even leave enough time for his cousin to reply before asking if he could hold it.

"Where is Hissera anyway?"

Katar cast his eyes downward when Asala asked him that.

"Why are you- what's wrong?"

"There is a reason I would not tell you over a letter, you deserved to know in person."

A thick silence overtook the room for a while as Adaar stared down at the child in his arms.

"My condolences for your loss, Asala, she was a great woman."

"She didn't suffer, did she?"

Katar shook his head, "She died so Imekari could live."

"How old is he?"

"Seven weeks, I've been feeding him mashev and animal milk when I could find it, but I know that is not nearly enough to sustain a child his age."

Adaar nodded in agreement, "Did she give him a name?"

Katar shook his head, "No, she was going to wait until the perfect name came to her."

Neither man spoke for a few moments until Katar grew tired of the silence and decided to tell Adaar the other reason why he came.

"It's too dangerous for me to travel with Imekari while alone, and I do not know where the rest of the Valo-kas are right now, though they are likely in hiding."

Adaar looked up at his cousin curiously, "Where are you going with this?"

"I think he would be safest here, for the time being, it is a fortress and you clearly have access to whatever you may need to take of him."

Asala was about to protest what Katar was suggesting, but a knock at the door cut him off.

He didn't even ask who it was but told them to come in any way before turning back to his cousin and nodding.

"I'll work something out, thank you for telling me about Hissera," he said with a sad shake of his head.

"Adaar, you wanted to see me?" Cassandra's voice made him start to smile brightly.

"Kadan, this is my cousin Katar," He introduced them, placing his free hand on her lower back briefly, "And this is Cassandra."

"Shanedan," Katar greeted with a nod of his head.

Cassandra told him it was a pleasure to meet him, but trailed off as soon as she finally saw the bundle of blankets Adaar was holding.

Katar looked between the three before clearing his throat a bit awkwardly, "I'll leave you two to speak."

Adaar looked down at the child in his arms and nodded, "We'll catch up more tomorrow?" he asked, to which Katar just nodded.

As soon as his cousin left the room he sighed sadly and turned to take a seat on the sofa.

He could practically feel the tension in the air.

"He's my sister's," he finally said.

Cassandra nodded even though he wasn't looking to be able to see it, his eyes were focused on the baby which was now cradled in both of his arms.

Slowly, she made her way over to sit down beside him.

"I'm to take care of him, he's my responsibility for now, since she's-" he trailed off, not wanting to acknowledge her death yet.

Cassandra moved closer to his side and placed a hand on his arm and started to massage his shoulder in what she hoped was a comforting manner.

He sighed sadly before shaking his head.

"Cass, I completely understand if you no longer want to continue our courtship, and under any other circumstances I would fight to keep you at my side, but I will not put love before my family when they need me most."

The pattern of motions her hand was making faltered, but she carried on after a moment, only scoffing at his absurd declaration. 

"You are a very large, very stupid man, Asala," she told him.

In any other circumstance, he would've kissed her for using his first name instead of his title or just calling him Adaar, but he was damn near close to trembling and just crying outright.

"This is a responsibility like any of the other dozens of responsibilities you have, except this one is clearly a much more important one and to leave you now would be baseless and frankly rather ignorant of me."

No longer than she finished speaking did he wrap an arm around her and pull her flush to his side, letting out a quiet sob as he held her close.

"You won't get rid of me that easily you stubborn man," she said as she adjusted to wrap an arm around his side and started to rub his thigh affectionately.

His shoulders shook a little as he cried into the crook of her neck.

As he cried, she looked down between them at the bundled up baby that he so easily held with one arm.

If she were being honest, she was quite intrigued by the still slumbering child.

How something so small could ever grow up to be even half as large as the man beside her, she couldn't even begin to comprehend.

Eventually, his tears came to a stop and once she noticed he was no longer sobbing quite as hard, she couldn't help but ask a question that came to her mind when she first laid eyes on the baby.

"Were you this small when you were a baby?"

He let out a soft laugh as he wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

"No idea, you'd have to ask someone who saw me back then."

A more comfortable silence filled the air as they sat together, still half embracing each other.

Adaar noticed the way she was looking at his nephew and smiled softly before asking if she wanted to hold him.

"You want me to hold him?" she pulled away slightly with the terrified gaze of a lone fawn lost in the forest.

"It's easy, I swear- I mean as long as you're not already nursing a sore shoulder when you start holding him."

A few moments later she was nervously standing with the baby in her arms.

"Don't worry, Cass, us Qunari are a little bit sturdier than we look, even as babies," He told her when he saw her posture was as stiff as a board.

"What's his name?" she asked a few moments later.

He shook his head sadly, "Hissera hadn't given him one yet, she was waiting until she found the perfect name."

"We have to call him something," she pointed out.

"Imekari will due until we find a suitable name."

Cassandra met his gaze with a confused expression on her face.

"It's what he is, it means child."

She couldn't help but scoff, "You truly want to call your nephew _Child_?"

"Only for the time being," he assured her.

A few moments passed until he finally moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning down to rest his chin on her shoulder.

They stood like that for quite a while, Adaar even started to gently sway with Cassandra in his arms when he thought the baby was close to waking up.

"I need to go have a very awkward conversation with Josephine regarding this little guy," he sighed.

"What kind of conversation?"

"Katar has been taking care of him for the past few weeks and he doesn't quite have the parts required to feed him like Imekari needs and nor do I, I mean there are herbs, but that still wouldn't work for me anyway."

Realization crossed Cassandra's face as he spoke.

"You're going to ask Josephine to do it?"

"No, I- no!" he started to get flustered, his cheeks even taking on a darker hue.

"I- I'm just going to ask her to find someone who would be able to, I wouldn't ask her something like that."

Cassandra nodded and turned her attention back to the baby in her arms as she got somewhat lost in thought.

"I will do it," she told him.

Adaar drew his hands away from her and protested.

"No, absolutely not!" the change in volume caused the baby in her arms to start squirming a little, prompting her to start gently rocking him side to side.

"And why not?" she asked in a level tone even though she had a somewhat hurt expression on her face.

He turned away from her, looking almost ashamed.

"Not for whatever reason you're assuming, I assure you that much."

Asala chanced looking back to her but found that the sad look on her face almost broke his heart.

He shook his head and looked down at his feet.

"I will not have you tied into whatever rumors would come from this type of thing."

Cassandra would've surely crossed her arms if they weren't otherwise occupied and glared at him.

"So you would allow some servant girl fall victim to them instead?" He really didn't like it when she used that accusing voice on him when he was acting like an ass.

"I- you're right and I'm sorry." he shook his head again before turning his attention back to her.

He approached her, placed one hand on her cheek and the other on the arm cradling the baby's head before looking into her eyes.

"You are the most honorable woman I've ever met, Cassandra, and I should trust that you would've never offered such a thing if you hadn't already considered everything that may come with it."

As soon as he was done speaking, he started to lean down to kiss her, but he stopped as soon as he heard the baby between them make a gurgling sound.

They both looked down at the little boy who now had his eyes open.

Two unnaturally blue eyes peered up at them.

"Aban," he whispered.

"What?"

"Aban, that's his name," he told her.

She nodded as he took the baby from her.

"What does it mean?" she asked as he smiled down at his nephew.

"Sky, I mean, just look at his eyes and tell me you don't see it."

He soon started muttering things to Aban in what she assumed was Qunlat.

She just smiled softly at the rather heartwarming scene, "I'll go speak to Josephine about getting those herbs," she said, even though he probably wasn't even paying attention.

She closed the door quietly and made her way toward Josephine's office.

If anyone saw the small smile that was plastered on her face for the rest of the day they must have decided not to mention it.

Even if a certain dwarf was extremely curious what could've ever made her look quite so carefree and genuinely happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mashev is Qunlat word for a type of gruel, not a typo, don't worry.  
> I already have plans set out for each LI except Blackwall, Sera, and Solas. The rest are already somewhat planned out, but until they're written I guess you'll just have to wait and find out what's gonna happen.


	2. Cullen X Lavellan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This sweet Lavellan is an extremely anxious mage whose thoughts like to screw with her, pair that with the everpresent fear of abandonment, and some rather sad memories, then you get Athari.  
> Word count: 3000

Athari had almost always been somewhat clingy when it came to people she cared about, but she could probably blame that on the fact that her family was usually of the found sort.

That just seemed to happen when you never even had the chance to truly meet your mother, pair that with the disappearance of her father when she was only seven summers old and Athari was basically a pitiful little puppy that accidentally got in the way more often than not.

At least that's what her mind often told her.

Thankfully when she was feeling like that she could now seek out any number of random people in Skyhold to bond with, while in her clan the other people would easily get upset with her if she spent too much time with a single one of them at any one time.

As long as they weren't nobles, she really didn't like being around them more than she had to, but their servants usually didn't seem to mind her company.

Granted they were probably just being too nice to just tell her to leave them alone.

She found herself perched on the arm of Dorian's chair as she listened to him talk about whatever he was talking about, she had honestly stopped paying attention an hour after sitting down, but his voice was comforting to listen to either way.

"Say, why aren't you with that dashing commander of yours anyway?"

She felt the tips of her ears start to turn red.

"I don't want him to get sick of me being around too much," she said so softly that it was almost a whisper.

"Oh dear thing, he would never get sick of you and whatever prompted such a worry should be put out of your head immediately and squashed like a nasty little bug." he patted the top of her head affectionately before flopping down in his chair quite gracelessly, prompting her to start giggling.

He rolled his eyes at her but smiled none the less, sometimes it was worth making a bit of a fool of himself to get her out of whatever dour mindset she found herself in.

Apparently, that's what friends are supposed to do.

If someone would've told him ten years ago that he would have a friend willing to call his father an ass to his face that just so happened to also be a Dalish elf with the attention span of a hummingbird, he would've laughed in their face then probably called them ignorant.

Still, somehow, here he sat with a little redheaded elf lounging on the arm of his chair as he attempted to cheer her up the best he could before she inevitably wandered off for fear of bothering him too much.

"He might get sick of me, you never know!" she protested.

"I've seen the way he looks at you, you're more important to that man that I think breathing is at this point," he told her.

The bright red blush that promptly covered the entirety of her nose and cheeks was almost enough to make him start laughing, but he managed to hide his mirth behind a few coughs and a faked sneeze.

"Must be the dust in here," he said.

"I'll leave you to your dust and books, Dorian, thanks for the conversation."

With that, she was off, but at least he had made her start smiling a bit before she left, so he counted that as a win.

After leaving Dorian's little corner of Skyhold, she ventured around with no destination in mind for nearly an hour, making small talk with at least seven different people along the way, before finally making her way toward Cullen's office.

As she was about to reach for the door it swung open, prompting her to let out a surprised yelp.

"Inquisitor, I didn't mean to startle you, are you looking for the Commander?" the scout that had almost run into her asked.

"I was, is he very busy?" she questioned as she tried to remember the young man's name.

He shrugged and shook his head, Jim, that was his name.

"I was just dropping off some reports, I think he might've headed off to the chantry to pray."

Athari smiled at him and nodded, "Thank you, Jim."

Soon enough, she was entering the chantry.

She saw Cullen speaking to one of the sisters as soon as she walked into the usually peaceful temple.

To her left, she saw another sister trying and failing to quiet a squealing child.

Without a second thought, she quietly approached the woman who was rather aggressively shushing the baby to no avail.

"May I?" she asked, to which the sister almost immediately nodded.

"Oh maker's breath, please do."

As soon as the baby was in her arms it's whimpering lessened and soon enough, the baby was almost completely silent and Athari was cooing at the tiny elf in her arms.

"Aren't you just the cutest little thing?"

Athari hadn't even noticed the sister that she had taken the baby from was watching her with a stunned expression.

"You're truly a miracle worker, Herald, she hasn't quit crying since she arrived," the sister sighed.

A calm silence overtook them as Athari gently rocked the baby back and forth.

"What's her name?"

"Oh- most of us have taken to calling her Clara, though that's not really her name, her mother named her something else, an elf name that most of us had a hard time pronouncing."

"If you recall it, maybe I would be able to?" Athari smiled up to the sister as she continued to sway with the baby.

"Pen-lon, or Pain Lan, then again it was probably Panlin or something-" The sister was soon cut off by Athari's small gasp of delight.

She smiled down at the baby happily, "Your name's Panelan, isn't it?" she cooed.

"That's what it was, yes," the sister verified.

"You're a fighter and you're a warrior, aren't you little one?" Athari was fully smiling at the little baby by this time.

Feeling like she was being watched, she looked up, only to find Cullen staring at her from where he was standing just a few feet away.

"Cullen, come say hi!" her excited voice drew him out of this frozen stupor.

He cleared his throat and walked over to stand at her side.

The sister looked between the two of them and nodded.

"When you're ready to leave or get tired of holding her, just find me and I'll take her back off of your hands Inquisitor."

She had already turned away so she didn't see the half heartbroken look that had appeared on Athari's face.

She quickly shook her head before turning her attention to Cullen.

"Vhenan, did you know they had a baby in here?" she looked up at him with a soft smile.

"I did, she likely doesn't have parents anymore so the sisters have taken to caring for her."

Her smile fell a little as she gently brushed her thumb across the baby's cheek.

"Poor Da'len, you're so young that you wouldn't even be able to remember your parents if you still had them," she whispered to the baby.

Remembering her own youth, she recalled how much she missed her father when he had disappeared and how little she remembered of him in the present day.

Those memories and thoughts had reduced her to sniffling sadly.

Cullen placed his hand on her lower back in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.

"Lavellan, you don't know that, someone might yet choose to take her in, then she'll have parents that she _can_ remember."

"You're right, but I still wish I could do something, I suppose I just feel sorry for her- she's like me in a way," she said quietly.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and placed a soft kiss on her temple before finally looking down at the baby she was holding.

"Wow, she's really small," He said without even thinking about it.

"Maybe to you, but to me, she's just a normal-sized baby."

He couldn't help but chuckle at her, "I guess you probably have a point."

Soon enough, Cullen had to return to his office and instead of following him to keep him company as he worked, she stayed there in the chantry, taking care of Panelan while the sister who usually took care of her took some time to rest.

"Marissa- wait, is it okay if I call you that?" she greeted the sister just before night fell to return Panelan to her.

"Of course you can call me that, dear."

"Oh, good- you don't mind if I come back whenever I'm not busy, do you?"

"Inquisitor, we are all the maker's children, therefore all are welcome to worship here."

Athari nodded, "I actually meant coming to spend time with Panelan, seeing as there aren't any sisters that quite look like her here."

A look of understanding crossed the older woman's face.

Marissa nodded, "Seeing as you're the only one who has been able to calm her down at all, personally I would gladly welcome the temporary peace and quiet."

With that, Athari began spending her free afternoons in the chantry, usually speaking to the sisters while simply holding Panelan, sometimes feeding her and taking care of her as she had learned to do when she sometimes helped her keeper taking care of her younger clanmates when necessary.

It had been almost a week and Cullen was starting to worry that he overstepped some boundary he didn't know about when it came to his relationship with Lavellan because she hadn't visited his office for six nights in a row.

Sure, she didn't visit him _every_ day that she was around Skyhold, but she never went quite so long without at least dropping in for a few minutes every other afternoon or so.

He was making his way up towards the rookery to ask Leliana about sending a letter to his sister when he noticed Dorian lounging in his usual seat with a book open in his lap.

"Dorian, have you noticed Lavellan acting strange lately?"

"Pardon?" Dorian marked his page and sat up in his chair.

"Lavellan, she hasn't been around quite as much as usual lately."

Dorian chuckled, "Don't tell me, our rugged commander is pining for a certain redheaded elf's attention!" 

"I'm not pining for her attention, I'm just worried, that's all," Cullen replied quickly.

"I'm just teasing you, but to answer your question, no, I haven't noticed any change in her habits-" Dorain trailed off as he tapped his chin with his finger.

"Granted that poor girl has always been terrified of bothering you too much with her presence though, maybe that has something to do with it," he pointed out.

Cullen's expression turned to one of confusion.

"She has?" he questioned, to which Dorian nodded.

"She never mentioned anything about that to me."

Dorian shook his head, "Of course she didn't, she's an absolute mess with her emotions, I try my best to cheer her up when I can if she's stuck in her head, but only so much can be done when she wanders off at the first sign of a lull in the conversation."

Cullen looked downright defeated, "I had never even noticed," he admitted.

"Of course not, but for someone who has been in her metaphorical shoes, it's easy to notice."

Cullen thanked Dorian and headed on his way, completely forgetting that he had been headed towards the rookery in the first place.

As soon as he had gotten out of his armor, he headed toward Athari's room.

The sun had already started to set over Skyhold, bathing the castle in red and orange hues by the time he made his way to the throne room.

He silently hoped that she was in her room so he wouldn't have to go searching the whole of Skyhold for her.

Once at her door, he knocked lightly and a moment later he heard what was very likely a mumbled curse in Elvish followed by a much kinder sounding invitation.

To say he didn't expect what he saw when he opened the door would've been an understatement.

"Lavellan, what's all of this?" he motioned toward the obscene amount of pillows and blankets scattered across the middle of the floor.

"Uh- okay, don't be mad, but I'm taking care of Panelan, at least for the night."

He raised an eyebrow at the rather nervous tone of voice she used.

"Why would I be mad about that?" he questioned, fully knowing that sister Marissa had started to come down with a cold a few days prior.

"I don't know, I just figured I would apologize."

"Lavellan- Athari, you never have to apologize to me for anything you do, you're your own person and are allowed to do whatever you want," he told her as he toed off his boots and headed toward the mound of pillows and blankets she was laying on.

She looked up at him, but only for a second before turning her attention back to the baby in her arms.

He sat down beside her and wrapped his arm around her before speaking again.

"That still doesn't explain all of the pillows."

Cullen saw the tips of her ears start to turn red and couldn't help but smile.

"Uh, I- it's a Dalish thing, in the aravels we usually sleep in groups with piles of pillows and blankets all around us," she told him.

"It's just more comfortable that way and I wanted to introduce Panelan to the experience, even if she is too young to really remember it yet."

Cullen leaned over to kiss her on the top of her head once she was done speaking.

They fell into a comfortable silence after that until Lavellan started to yawn, but she still didn't put Panelan down.

"You do realize that whoever takes her in might not be like her, don't you?" he asked after a bit.

She nodded sadly.

"I know, but maybe until then I can help her experience a life that's a little bit like the ones her people live."

He noticed how she didn't call the Dalish _her people_ anymore, but he decided that was a conversation best saved for later.

"I had a chat with Dorian when you didn't show up tonight."

"Oh?"

"You being around would never bother me, not even if you decided to take up Rylen's offer to learn to play bagpipes."

She attempted to hold in the laughter that bubbled up in her chest, but ultimately couldn't keep from giggling.

"Vhenan, I think that would hurt my ears too much."

He smiled and pulled her closer, prompting her to lay her head on his shoulder.

"You said I'm allowed to do whatever I want, yes?" she asked before gently placing Panelan down beside her.

"Of course- I mean within reason because if you bring home a herd of mabari I think Dorian might have words for you with all of his complaints about Fereldan smelling like dogs already."

She shook her head but didn't mention why she asked such a thing, so he decided not to press the issue.

"Are we sleeping on the floor?" he questioned her.

"I am, and Panelan is, but you're allowed to go back to your room if you don't want to."

He didn't reply, instead, he released his hold on her and eased himself back onto a rather plush pink pillow, interlocking his fingers behind his head once he was laying down.

"You look like the picture of relaxation, Vhenan," she told him before stretching over to kiss him.

A few minutes later she laid down beside him after making sure Panelan couldn't roll over during the night.

"Are you sure it's safe to not have her sleeping in a cradle?"

"I didn't need a cradle when I was little, neither did Adal, Zerul, Farin, Atan, Athalin, Milani, Suval-"

"Okay, I get it, Dalish don't do cradles."

"Exactly," she said as she scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder.

He rolled his eyes at her and moved his hand to rest on her hip.

"Good night, Athari."

She mumbled something he couldn't quite make out, but he placed a soft kiss on her hairline anyway.

In the dying fire's light, when she thought Cullen was finally asleep, she asked him a question.

"What if I want to take care of her for more than just tonight?"

He surprised her by sleepily mumbling a reply.

"I'll stand by you."

"Really?" she propped herself up to look him in the face, only to find that his eyes were still closed.

Her expression fell a bit, thinking he was simply talking in his sleep, but his hand was soon wrapped around hers.

"If that's what you want, then I'll stand by you," he repeated as he blearily opened his eyes to look at her.

Come morning, Cullen woke before her, and as he looked down on the scene before him, he smiled, all the while thinking about how his sister was going to kill him when she found out he had not only fallen in love but also _sort of_ became a father as well.

Three weeks later, a letter arrived for Cullen, and from the mirth, in the Spymaster's eyes, he knew exactly what he was in for when he opened the letter.

Low and behold, there was his sister's loopy scrawl and a whole lot of not so pleasant words.

"Thank you Leliana," he shook his head.

"No, thank you, I have never witnessed such a verbal thrashing as the one your sister wrote you, it was quite entertaining."

He sighed exasperatedly before turning his attention back to the letter.

At the end, there were a lot of questions, one of which was 'When's the wedding' which caused him to start blushing like mad.

"Maker's breath!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I headcanon that Dorian has actually dealt with some form of anxiety himself, so I kind of dropped a little hint to that in this part.  
> Don't hold it against me for not recalling all of the inner bits of Skyhold because I haven't actually touched my DAI game for literal months, so if anything is off- just pretend it works.  
> Dorian's next! At least that's who I plan on doing next- he'll probably be next, most likely.  
> {Jim's cameo counter: 2/2}


	3. Dorian X Lavellan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lavellan meets a Dalish woman who once fell in love with someone who didn't love her- years later, now she's got a baby to take care of that's not even hers, and Lavellan really just wants to help her out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this one is a long boi!  
> Also, if you're feeling bored might I suggest checking out Sad Milk on YouTube? It's a collaboration channel that IMO is the best collaboration channel out there only truly rivaled by Unus Annus, just read this first, then you can go check it out.  
> Word Count: 3665

Tivian's usually golden brown hair was still somewhat coated with dried blood as his small group returned from their week-long journey.

"Cassandra, do you mind telling Leliana that I'm washing the blood out of my hair before I speak to them?" he asked as Solas and Bull handed their mounts off to the stable hand.

Cassandra nodded, "I'm sure they'll understand."

No other words were exchanged, and he quickly made his way to his quarters.

Once there he was thankful to find a tub of steaming water waiting on him.

He obviously didn't mind cold water, but after such an event-filled week he practically melted into the water as soon as his armor was tossed on the floor.

Knowing everyone was probably waiting on him to finish, he hurried through the motions he had so easily memorized from years of doing them in streams.

Once the water was clear enough, he tugged free any tangles in his unruly hair and twisted it up into a loose bun atop his head, tying it there with an old embroidered strip of leather that he had a bit of a sentimental connection to.

Rolling his shoulders on his way, he quickly slid into his clothes, just as he had nearly walked out of the room he noticed he had almost forgotten his boots.

No matter what anyone said, he knew that normal elves wore boots when it was cold, and Skyhold was certainly classified as cold.

He stopped for a second and quirked an eyebrow at his own thoughts, _normal elves wear boots when it's cold_ , "Sera wears boots, and Solas doesn't, not sure if that's a good analogy or not now," he muttered to himself before shaking his head.

He didn't want to delve into that particular bucket of fish at the moment.

Seconds later he was pulling on a boot as he opened his door, only to hit someone with the door.

"Fuck, I'm so sorry!" he quickly leaned down to help the man up.

"No harm done, I should've been paying more attention," the scout said as Lavellan helped him to his feet.

"Lady Montilyet, sent me to come get you."

Tivian nodded, "Uh, I didn't catch your name?"

The scout quickly introduced himself as Jim.

"I'll tell my advisor's to give you the night off since I sort of knocked you in the head with my door."

"That's not necessary-"

"I insist, now I must get going, thank you for coming to retrieve me, Jim." Lavellan gave him a bright smile before patting him on the shoulder and heading off, leaving the scout standing there with a confused look on his face.

***

Tivian had always hated trying to concentrate on things, like what people were talking about when they weren't speaking directly to him, and sometimes even when they were.

He was really trying to pay attention, but his mind started going on an adventure, starting with if Josephine had always worn her hair pinned that way, and if so how she got it looking so neat without someone helping her with it.

Then he started wondering what he would look like with his hair pinned like that, he figured that he would probably look ridiculous, but Dorian _did_ say he liked when Lavellan wore his hair differently than usual.

One of his advisors calling his name pulled him out of his wandering thoughts.

Somehow he finally managed to make it out of the war room without anyone being any the wiser about him only half paying attention.

"I bet Dorian would look very regal with long hair," he quietly muttered to himself as he walked, only to be startled by the sound of a baby crying.

"There are babies here?" he wondered out loud before following the sound, trying to find the source of it.

He found the source of the crying shortly after setting off.

A relatively small older woman was sitting in the garden, rocking a baby back and forth as she sang to it.

At first he didn't recognize the song even though it sounded quite familiar, then as he got closer and heard the lyrics and his ears perked up.

It was a Dalish lullaby that she was singing.

He made sure to make noise as he approached in an effort to make sure he didn't startle the older elf since the baby had started to quiet down.

She looked up for just a second as he approached.

"Inquisitor, I'm very sorry if he's disturbed you," she apologized quickly.

He shook his head, "No worries, I simply didn't know anyone here had a baby, it was surprising."

"Oh dear, he's not actually mine, I'm just taking care of him."

Tivian asked if he could join her a moment later and started up a conversation with her.

"If you're not his mother then why are you taking care of him?"

"Because his mother can't- not anymore."

He wanted to ask her to elaborate, but he noticed the sad look on her face that told him exactly what she meant.

"I'm sorry for your loss, was she a friend or-" he trailed off, not knowing exactly how to say what he was implying.

"I loved her, and she loved me, she just didn't love me in the same way that I loved her," She said.

Tivian looked down at the baby in her arms and noticed the baby had rounded ears.

"Was she a human?" he asked before it registered how insensitive the question sounded.

Thankfully the woman just chuckled, "No, his father was though, Selina loved him anyway- then the filthy shem ran off as soon as she told him that her moon blood was late."

He shook his head, "At least she still had someone who cared about her," he pointed out.

She actually smiled at that before she started to look a little embarrassed, "Creators, here I am telling you all my problems and I haven't even introduced myself!"

This caused Tivian to chuckle, "It's quite all right, you probably only know me as _the Inquisitor_ anyway."

"I'm Athalin and this is Rowan."

He smiled and nodded, "I'm Tivian Lavellan, It's a pleasure to meet both of you."

The two spoke for quite a while until the cold started to settle in for the evening.

"Would it be okay if I walked you back?" he asked, to which she nodded her reply.

"You know, Lavellan, I was wanting to eventually return to my clan since Selina is gone, but I think you've changed my mind."

He raised an eyebrow, "But Rowan is only elf-blooded," he pointed out, prompting her to sigh.

"I know, they would never accept him, but false hope is all that has kept me going- a hope that someday maybe someone would want to be an actual parent to him and then I would be free to go back."

They were silent for a few moments as they walked together, "You left your clan for her, didn't you?" he asked, to which she nodded.

"She was living in the alienage in Denerim during the blight and since the warden helped us with a curse, we fought with him, I found myself injured by one of the ogres that stormed through the alienage gates and all of the sudden there was this woman who jumped on the ogres back just as it was about to finish me off- her intervention gave me the chance to retrieve my bow and fire an arrow into his throat." 

"Love at first sight?" he playfully nudged her with his elbow, prompting her to let out a soft laugh.

"She saved my life, she wasn't even wearing armor, and she attacked an ogre with an actual kitchen knife- of course, it was love at first sight."

***

Just as the sun was starting to set, Tivian sought out Dorian in his alcove.

As soon as the Altus noticed him approaching he closed his book and turned his full attention to the elf.

"I heard you were wandering around outside a few hours ago with wet hair trying to catch your death of cold."

"You know, you're the third person who has said that to me since getting this ugly torch bug magically attached to my hand."

"I suppose the Dalish don't say such things?" Dorian asked.

"Never, and I don't even know why you humans do because having wet hair doesn't mean you'll get sick, otherwise I would've probably died years ago."

Dorian shook his head before opting to change the subject, "You've been back for a while, what kind of trouble did you get into after leaving the war room?"

Tivian walked over and leaned up against the adjacent bookshelf before replying.

"Vhenan, I would need to get caught in order to be in trouble, you know that," he said with a mischievous smirk.

"I did end up meeting this nice woman and we had a pleasant chat- she's an elf too and she even fought with the Hero of Fereldan at Denerim, isn't that amazing?"

***

The next morning, Tivian woke much earlier than usual.

He was very tempted to stay in bed and attempt to get back to sleep, but he was afraid that his inevitable tossing and turning would wake Dorian so he decided against it.

As quietly as he could, he got ready for the day then left his quarters shortly after placing a soft kiss on Dorian's cheek, carefully as to not to wake him.

Once in the courtyard, he realized he didn't have anything to actually do, for the time being, especially seeing as he was one of the first people even awake so early.

He looked up to the sky where he could still faintly see a few stars lingering in the sky as the sun started to rise.

"Lavellan, what are you doing up so early?" Athalin's voice drew him from his already wandering thoughts.

Tivian turned around to see she was standing not far behind him with Rowan in her arms.

"I could ask you the same thing, but I can probably guess that _that_ little guy is the reason," he replied with a chuckle.

She shook her head, "You would be right, he hardly sleeps, meaning I hardly sleep either."

He motioned toward the garden and they made their way there just as the serene silence of the early morning grew ever so less quiet with every minute.

Once they were sitting in the garden, Tivian turned his attention to her.

"You know, I could help you with him if you needed and maybe even see if Selina has any family around anywhere that would be willing to take care of him."

Her eyes grew wide, "Inquisitor, I couldn't let you do that," she quickly protested as the tips of her ears took on a bright red shade.

Tivian chuckled, "Athalin, no one _lets_ me do anything, I just do it anyway- I mean you would still take care of him if I'm not here obviously, but while I am here you would have a bit more freedom to do whatever you want," he told her.

She stared at him with a confused expression for a few minutes before finally speaking.

"Why would you offer to do this?"

He shook his head with a sad smile.

"You remind me of my older sister in a way, she was at the conclave."

"I'm sorry for your loss, were the two of you close?"

Tivian nodded, "We did almost everything together up until she started studying to be the keeper's first."

"My sister was the first in our clan too, no idea where they are now- even if I did I don't think they would want me back after I left them for a flat ear."

They sat in silence for a few moments after that.

"Would you really be able to see if Rowan has any family willing to take him?"

"Not me personally, but two of my advisors seem to be able to find out everything and anything about someone, from what color their favorite small clothes are to who laundered their great grandfather's sheets," he joked.

***

Before leaving Skyhold again, Tivian had a short chat with Josephine regarding Athalin and Rowan.

"Josephine, I have a question- two actually."

"Yes, Inquisitor?"

He shifted his weight on his feet awkwardly.

"First things first, there's a servant woman, Athalin and I was wondering if you could rearrange some things to have her taking care of my room _and_ Rowan when I'm gone."

"Rowan?" she questioned.

He shook his head, "Long story, but it'll make more sense when I ask the second question."

She motioned for him to continue so he quickly asked whether she or Leliana could look into finding anyone who Selina had been related to or close to in the alienage she was from which would be willing to raise Rowan.

"So you're taking care of him now?"

He nodded a silent reply, "So, can you?"

She nodded, "Between Leliana and myself, I'm sure if there is a relative, we will find them, but I must ask you how Dorian feels about this sudden parental role you've taken on until we can look for them."

Tivian visibly tensed up a little, he hadn't told Dorian yet because it was such a sudden decision, one done without a second thought.

Josephine clicked her tongue and shook her head, "You should tell him, Inquisitor."

"I plan to, it just didn't quite cross my mind to do so when I agreed to help Atha out."

She gave him an understanding smile.

"I'll see what we can come up with, but if we can't find someone you do realize that the chantry is well equipped to take in children who do not have parents, don't you?"

Tivian quickly shook his head, "No, absolutely not, I agree with Athalin on that much, with him being elf-blooded, he would very likely be discriminated against in such an environment."

He could tell that Josephine didn't want to agree with such a statement but she nodded, knowing it was quite true.

"I understand, but might I ask what you plan to do with him if he has no family?"

His shoulders fell just a little before he shook his head.

"I honestly hadn't thought that far ahead."

***

Tivian was finally back at Skyhold almost a week later and Dorian was starting to worry because he had been back for several hours and still hadn't sought him out yet as he usually did after almost every one of those excursions where he didn't invite Dorian along.

As soon as he noticed the sun starting to get low in the sky he decided that he was tired of waiting so he left his alcove with the sole intention of seeking the Inquisitor out himself.

When he made his way to the door leading up to Tivian's quarters, he almost didn't even notice the person he almost walked directly into until the man quickly stepped out of the way.

"Sorry Lord Pavus, I didn't see you there."

"Your name is Jim, yes?" Dorian asked.

The scout didn't even get a chance to answer because Dorian started speaking again.

"Tell me, is the Inquisitor extremely busy right now?"

Jim shook his head.

"I wouldn't say that he is, no."

Dorian simply nodded then thanked him before heading up the very stairs that the scout had just come down.

Once at the door to Lavellan's room, Dorian knocked twice before proceeding to let himself in.

"Amatus, you didn't stop by earlier and I-" He was cut off rather effectively by Tivian's hand covering his mouth.

He looked down at the elf with an expression of confusion on his face.

Lavellan pressed a finger to his own lips before removing his hand from Dorian's mouth and motioning toward an Antivan rocking cradle sitting beside the bed.

It wasn't simply a cradle though, there was a baby inside with coffee-colored skin and deep brown hair which was only truly rivaled in messiness by Tivian's own unruly locks.

Tivian got his attention and nudged his head toward the balcony doors a moment later, clearly wanting Dorian to follow him.

It took Dorian a minute to really pry his eyes away from the child in the crib, but he eventually did and followed Tivian out onto the balcony quietly.

As soon as Tivian had closed the doors, Dorian started to talk.

"When did you, I mean how is there- why do you have a baby in your room?"

"He's not mine if that's what you're thinking," He quickly assured Dorian, who visibly relaxed a little.

Tivian stepped over to lean on the railing before he started to speak again.

"His name's Rowan, he doesn't have a mother and until we find out if he has any other family out there, I'm taking care of him."

"What if he doesn't have anyone, what then?" Dorian questioned as he joined Lavellan at the railing.

Tivian smiled softly, "Josephine asked me the same thing- If he doesn't then I'll figure something out later if the situation arises, but I know I'm not putting him in the care of the chantry."

Dorian nodded but didn't reply.

"He has hair that's curly just like yours," Dorian pointed out, prompting the elf to laugh.

"I hope that's a good thing." 

Dorian chuckled softly, "Of course it's a good thing, but I did truly think he was a long lost love child of yours until you told me otherwise."

Tivian shook his head, "No, his father was some human who left at the first sign that his mother was with child."

"What a fucking prick," Dorian scoffed.

"What a fucking prick indeed."

The two men stood in silence for a while.

Lavellan twined his fingers between Dorian's own a few moments later.

"Dorian?"

"Yes, Amatus?"

"If he doesn't have anyone what would you do in my situation?"

Dorian raised an eyebrow at the strange question, but almost as quickly as the confusion appeared on his face did it seem to disappear.

He hummed thoughtfully.

"I suppose I would do whatever it was in my power to do to make sure he was taken care of properly," he finally said after a few moments.

Tivian started to run his thumb across the back of Dorian's hand a few seconds later.

"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" Dorian asked when he didn't reply immediately.

Tivian shook his head and promptly let go of Dorian's hand, turning his head toward the doors leading into his room.

"Vhenan, would you like to meet Rowan?"

"I'm not very child-friendly, you should know that."

Tivian smiled softly at him before the smile turned mischievous.

"Oh, you've never been around babies, have you?"

"Obviously not, and whatever you're scheming won't work, I refuse to fall victim to your wicked whims."

He shook his head and grabbed Dorian's hand once again, leading him back through the balcony doors.

Rowan was already crying when they made their way back inside and try as he did, Dorian couldn't seem to successfully pull out of Tivian's grasp as they neared the cradle the baby was laying in.

"No, I'm really not good with kids, Amatus," he protested.

Not but a few moments later Dorian was holding the baby and gently rocking him side to side with Tivian's careful guidance.

Tivian's careful guidance had been to wrap his arms around Dorian's waist and start swaying with him.

Not much longer and Rowan had quieted once again.

"That wasn't so hard," Dorian said before scoffing quietly.

"I don't know what you were so worried about when you're clearly a natural." Tivian's voice had taken on a playful tone.

He stood there for quite a while afterward in silence with his arms still wrapped around Dorian's waist.

"You know you can put him down now if you want, right?"

"I know-" the Altus seemed like he was going to continue the statement but had ultimately trailed off mid-thought.

Lavellan stood up on the tips of his toes to be able to kiss the back of Dorian's neck once he figured out that he needed prompting to speak again.

"Maybe we could keep him."

The words came out of Dorian's mouth and even Tivian's ears struggled to hear them.

"Say again?" Tivian swore that he had to have heard that wrong.

"Only if he doesn't have anyone- I mean maybe we could take care of him."

Tivian untangled his arms from around Dorian's waist and stepped around to look him in the face to make sure he was being serious.

" _We_?" Tivian asked.

"That's what I said, yes," Dorian clarified.

"I mean, unless you don't want to which I completely underst-" He had started to backpedal on his statement, but was quickly cut off by Tivian's lips against his own.

They broke apart a few seconds later when Rowan started squirming between them.

"Imagine what the people will say when they find out that the filthy Dalish and the evil Vint are raising a child together," Tivian said with a laugh.

"I think the rumors will be quite entertaining," Dorian admitted before handing Rowan back to be placed in the cradle again.

"Yes, obviously he's our birth child, conceived purely by blood magic under the moon during an ancient Dalish ceremony where we sacrificed three nugs, and a goat before having an orgy that lasted two whole days," Tivian said flatly as he started to rock Rowan's cradle.

Dorian couldn't help but burst out in laughter at the monotone reply.

"Please, tell Varric that exact scenario if he insists on making a book based on us, I beg you," He told the elf as he reached up to wipe the tears from his eyes.

"Only if you're the one to tell Cullen when he inevitably asks where we got the baby from once he meets Rowan."

"Deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do plan on doing Iron Bull's chapter next, but here's a heads up! Please do not expect the next chapter anytime soon, because I have plans to do Fictober along with at least part of Inktober while still trying to acquire a job in this pandemic ridden wasteland we call America. So yeah, next update probably won't even be started until some time in November, and who knows when it'll actually end up being completed.  
> If you want to participate in Fictober yourself- there is a Tumblr out there which I won't be linking because I'm on mobile and I really don't want to even try but it's pretty easy to find if you just google fictober, the prompts are already posted so maybe you can plan ahead which fandoms you're going to do or whatever.  
> { +2 on Jim's cameo counter because my forgetful self apparently gave him two parts in this, one where he retrieves Lavellan for a meeting and one where he's coming back down from delivering the cradle Josephine got for Rowan and bumps into Dorian. Just pretend it was on purpose because I don't think he'll have a cameo at all in Bull's part}


End file.
